The New Co-Teacher
by Borelyn
Summary: Rachel Amber is accepted into Blackwell's Photography class. What if there was a second teacher teaching the class? Would things have changed so much so that she didn't meet her fate?
1. Chapter One

The American Rust, their home away from Hell. It was their escape from the issues that they faced, they could just run away from their problems and come here. Besides, not a lot of people go to the Junkyard which made it the perfect secret hideout. The last time Chloe had a hideout, it was with Max at their treehouse.

Max… Max Caulfield. Chloe's best friend, no, Chloe's ex-best friend who had ghosted her for five years. Things might've been different if she had just reached out to Chloe. A few half-assed attempts don't count as reaching out. Chloe talked about her every day, it felt like Rachel was competing with a ghost for her attention. Although Chloe was pretty popular among the students of Blackwell, she never really felt like she had any friends for two years before she met Rachel. Sometimes she wondered why Rachel decided to befriend her in the first place. She had her insecurities and her doubts, but she was the best person that Rachel had met in her entire life.

"Rach, whattaya thinking about?" Chloe said as she took a sip of her beer.

Rachel didn't want to tell her the truth about this, as she had been trying to get Chloe to live in the present. Mentioning what she was thinking about, which was Max Caulfield and how Rachel felt about Max, wasn't the brightest idea. She gave Chloe a peck on her left cheek as she gave a smile. "Thinking about you."

"Ugh, mushy much Rach?" Chloe said as she gave an exaggerated reaction to her gagging. "That's all you're thinking about? You were spacing out for a while there, y'know?"

"Actually… no. I've also been thinking about the new photography program." Rachel looked at Chloe as she hoped to get a response, but all she got was a confused look from her. "... At Blackwell? I think you're drinking too much, Chloe." Rachel giggled as she lightly shoved Chloe. "I heard Mark Jefferson is gonna be the teacher." Once again, Chloe looked as confused as ever. "You know, the Mark Jefferson? He was pretty famous in the 90s."

"Uh huh?" was the only thing Chloe could've thought of to reply to Rachel, as she still had no clue who this Mark guy was.

"Jesus Chlo, you're really a clueless punk, aren't ya?" Rachel said before taking a sip of her beer. "Okay… so as I've mentioned earlier, he was a pretty well-known photographer in the 90s who had his shots being published on the front covers of magazines. He has been teaching around the country for a while now. Guess he was offered a position at Blackwell."

"Well… those that can't do, teach." Chloe replied with a smirk.

There was a brief silence as Rachel was thinking before she spoke again. "There is also another famous photographer that's co-teaching the photography class if you're interested in knowing. Her name's Idell MacFaux. She's pretty well known too, some would say that she's even more well known than Mark Jefferson. You see these magazines over there?" Rachel pointed towards a bunch of magazines that were very different from one another, ranging from celebrities and models on the front covers to amazing photographs of buildings and nature. "Those are a few of her shots that were published. She has these hella amazing shots that are perfectly timed."

"Like I said Rach," Chloe gave out a small laugh as she took another sip of her beer before continuing what she said, "Those that can't do, teach."

"Anyway Chloe, I've got great news. Do you wanna guess?" Rachel rested her head on Chloe's shoulder.

"Uh, you still got the hots for me?" Chloe stroked Rachel's beautiful, long blonde hair with the familiar scent of jasmine being ever so present.

"That, and… I've been accepted to join the photography class. It starts next week. Perhaps you might want to reconsider rejoining Blackwell? My Dad's still willing to help you get back into Blackwell."

"Yeah no, no thanks."

Chloe took another sip of her beer.

"Okay… maybe?"


	2. Chapter Two

Rachel: Chloe, where are you? You're gonna be late for classes.

Chloe: omw

Chloe: 2 mins

Rachel: I'm waiting by the fountain. Hurry up.

Rachel had been waiting for Chloe for 30 minutes by the fountain, which was unusual as Chloe wasn't usually this late. Rachel spotted Chloe hurriedly walking towards her, muttering something under her breath as she checked the contents of her bag to make sure that she didn't forget to bring anything important. "Took you long enough." Rachel crossed her arms with a smirk as she got up from the fountain, looking at the blue-haired punk who was walking over to her from the carpark.

Chloe's brows furrowed as she gave Rachel a glare, "It's not my fault, step douche was being a prick. Dumbass spilled coffee on my shirt, I had to go and clean myself up."

Rachel giggled as they both walked slowly towards the main entrance of Blackwell. "Damn Price, that's hella unlucky. Anyway, we better get to class." She opened the main door and there were people eyeing Rachel and Chloe, a few were gossipping about them. But who wouldn't? After all, it's unusual in modern school culture for a popular person to be hanging out with a delinquent.

"So… I'll be seeing you during break?" Rachel nudged Chloe's shoulder as they're heading down the hallway.

"Yeah, sure." Chloe rolled her eyes, sighing before continuing. "This is gonna be hella boring without you, Rach."

"You'll survive, Chlo. You'll survive." Rachel winked at her as they parted from each other to get to their respective classes.

Entering the Photography Lab, there were already familiar faces at their seats either chattering away or using their phones. Hayden looked as stoned as ever, Daniel was sketching as per usual, Alyssa and Stella were chattering away, Victoria and Taylor were chatting while eyeing Rachel. That can't be good. Why am I not surprised that Vic is in Photography? She rolled her eyes in annoyance. Rachel and Victoria have been the biggest rivals at Blackwell for a long time, often acting polite while they exchanged backhanded compliments. Rachel walked past Victoria and sat at the back of the classroom as most of the seats have been taken.

"I see that the beautiful model has arrived." Victoria said with a notable sarcastic tone. "We've missed you so much, Rachel." Victoria crossed her arms and smiled. "We're glad to see you again after the holidays."

Rachel, as usual, maintained her cheerful demeanor smiling at Victoria. "Hiii Vicky, I'm so glad to see you too!" This will get that pixie Blonde to lose her cool, she hates being called Vicky. Rachel thought to herself.

As expected, Victoria gave Rachel a death glare which Rachel replied with a shrug. Rachel took out her phone to check the time. Only a few minutes left before classes begin. Just then, someone who she doesn't seem to recognize at all entered the classroom. The stranger was dressed very conservatively and she had a blonde hair tied into an adorable cinnamon bun. She seems nice… but she's definitely a bully magnet. The conservative girl looked around the classroom before she sat near the window. She looks nervous for sure, maybe I can help her adjust to the Blackwell life. Rachel stood up and walked over to the conservative girl while giving her best smile, offering a handshake to the shy blonde. "Hey, I'm Rachel. Rachel Amber. What's your name?"

The shy blonde shook Rachel's hand as she started speaking, "Oh, h-hey Rachel. My name is Kate. Kate Marsh. I was born in Arcadia Bay but I moved to San Francisco when I was younger. But I'm back here now." Kate gave her brightest smile.

"I always wanted to leave Arcadia Bay to visit New York, L.A or San Francisco. Especially L.A, I always wanted to be a model and L.A seems like the perfect place to go to for that. Although the two other cities do seem pretty interesting. Honestly though, anywhere other than Arcadia Bay is fine with me. Lucky you, Kate." Rachel crossed her arms while smirking at Kate. "So, did you manage to see her while you were in San Fran?"

Kate offered a confused look at Rachel as she was trying to figure out who Rachel was referring to. It took a few seconds before her eyes went wide with her mouth opened in an 'o' shape. "Yes, I did manage to meet up with her a few times. I was at a large bookstore carrying a few of her books when she came up to me from behind. I was really shocked and honored to meet her. I-I mean, I've never seen her in person before so it took me by surprise that she casually just came up to me like that. We exchanged numbers and we met up a couple of times to teach me about photography. She's my hero."

"That... is hella cool." Rachel's eyes brightened up. "What about Mr Jefferson? Have you seen him in person yet?"

"No I haven't, this will be my first time seeing him. It's such an honor to be taught by two famous photographers. From the rumors that I've heard, it was only just Mr Jefferson but Ms MacFaux wanted to teach at Blackwell too…" Kate gave an expression of her deep in thought before continuing. "What about you? Have you seen Mr Jefferson or Ms MacFaux?"

"Well… yes and no. Principal Wells asked me to go to his office and he introduced Mr Jefferson to me, vise versa. I've never seen Ms MacFaux in person before. Jefferson's hella hot though."

Neither Rachel nor Kate spoke for a brief period of time, the awkward silence was ever so present, before Rachel continued with a smirk visible on her face. "Hey, Kate? I think we're gonna be great friends. Wanna know why?"

"Um, why?"

Rachel leaned close towards Kate as she whispered to Kate's ear. "I love innocent girls."

This caused Kate to blush, which led to Rachel laughing hysterically. Rachel composed herself before she nudged Kate's shoulder. "Relax, Kate. I'm just joking with you, don't take it seriously. Also, you might want to avoid Victoria. She's the pixie blonde there." She subtly pointed at Victoria. "Although she's pretty decent underneath that hideous ugly snobby and pretentious mask of hers, she might pick on you as of today. No offense Kate, you're kind of a bully magnet. Anyway I'm gonna head back to my seat, class is gonna start soon."

Rachel walked back to her desk and sat on her chair. This. Is. Hella. Awesome. I can't wait to meet them. She thought to herself while anticipating the arrival of the two famous photographers.

Rachel was on the edge of her seat as time seemed to slow down, metaphorically. The class went to an absolute silence as the two prestigious teachers entered the classroom, both observing the current occupants of the photography lab. Rachel could've sworn that they both had their gazes on her longer than they had their gazes on others.

Mr Jefferson was a tall man who had his brown hair skillfully styled while sporting a blazer over a white, long-sleeved shirt that was loosely buttoned while wearing blue jeans. Ms MacFaux, on the other hand, was around Rachel's height and she was formally dressed. She had wavy long, blonde hair where its length reached her shoulder blades, while wearing a blazer over her white long-sleeved shirt, with sleek black pants and high heels. Not such a good job with the foundation though. Rachel smirked as she thought about that, subconsciously staring at the female teacher. Unfortunately for her, Ms MacFaux noticed her smirk. Shit, shit, shit! That was a hella bad first impression. Rachel winced, which the blonde teacher also noticed.

Mr Jefferson started to speak. "As all of you should know, I'll be teaching the Photography class along with Ms MacFaux here. There is a standard that the both of us here expect all of you to meet in our class. But I don't think I need to focus too much on that as all of you joined the Photography class for a reason, and that is to succeed as a photographer. Or," Mr Jefferson adjusted his glasses as he was giving a smug smirk, "You just wanted to be taught by the both of us. Perhaps it is both of those reasons why most of you are here." Mr Jefferson let out a humorless chuckle. "Ms MacFaux, would you like to introduce yourself to the class?"

"With pleasure, Mark." She smiled at her colleague before clearing her throat. "My name is Idell MacFaux, I'm from San Francisco as some of you may know. Photography has always been my passion since I was a child. The best advice that I can give is to always take the shot. By doing so, you'll be able to photograph some of your best photos to add to your portfolio which you will have by the end of your stay in Blackwell."

Mr Jefferson chimed in. "Anyway, being in this Photography class will not be a breeze. We expect all of you to perform to the best of your abilities. You might even be competing with your peers and your future peers." Future peers? There are more people joining us? Rachel thought to herself, wondering what that meant.

"I know what some of you are thinking and you probably have the same question in mind, and I'll explain what I meant by that." Mr Jefferson cleared his throat. "There may be an intake of a few more students in August. However, it isn't easy to enroll as we do have a very strict intake policy after all. We received hundreds of applications nationwide, but most of them didn't manage to qualify. You'd be lucky if we get two or more students by then." He sighed. "At the moment there is only one person, who is all the way from Seattle, who has qualified to enroll in August." Seattle? I wonder who this mysterious person is, leaving their big city behind to come to this boring ol' town just to join the photography class. Rachel thought to herself.

The class erupted as they were discussing what they just heard, some of them even giving faces of relief as they felt that they were lucky to be in the Photography class. Ms MacFaux waited for the noise to die down before speaking, "Thank you. So some of you might be wondering why they're being enrolled in August. Well, those are the students who already know their stuff. Until then, we'll be using these few months together to learn the foundation modules that the hopefully, enrollees and not enrollee, have already known in their own Photography classes." Ms MacFaux emphasized on 'foundation' on purpose, which confirmed Rachel's suspicions that the teacher knew exactly what Rachel was smirking about. The class groaned in unison, which prompted a response from the blonde teacher who was grinning. "C'mon, it'll be fun! Mark and I have a lot of things planned for you guys. We're in this together, so let's make it fun!"

"Anyway, since today is our first time together we won't be teaching today. You know, we get to know one another better first. Mr Jefferson, would you like to introduce yourself to the rest of the class?"

"Of course, Ms MacFaux. As all of you know, my name is Mark Jefferson. I was born here in Arcadia Bay, but I left it to pursue photography at a young age. I majored with high honors at the American Academy of Art in Chicago, which led me to many opportunities in the industry. Now my point is that every artist was first an amateur. I didn't develop the skills for photography out of the blue, I built up my portfolio while I learned more about photography. My number one rule, which Ms MacFaux here mentioned earlier, is to always take the shot." There were a few applauds from Victoria, Taylor, and Stella after Mark stopped talking.

"Thank you for that, Mark. Now it's your turn to introduce yourself to us. Let's start with…" Ms MacFaux looked at the students to pick one out. "You." She pointed at Kate. "Tell us your name, where you're from, your hobby, and your aspirations." She spoke in a gentle and calm voice, and she smiled at Kate.

Kate stood up nervously as she looked at her peers before looking at the ground. Rachel noticed Mark's eyes widening for a second. "H-Hi, my name is Kate Marsh and I was born in Arcadia Bay. However, I left Arcadia Bay when I was younger. I-I moved to San Francisco with my parents to study there. I like to draw cartoons and I hope to publish a book for little children one day." This earned a sneer from Victoria as Rachel could see that she disliked Kate.

Ms MacFaux continued, "Thank you Kate, for introducing yourself. Now, would anyone like to volunteer?" A hand was shot up almost immediately after her question was asked. As expected… Rachel rolled her eyes. It was none other than Victoria, who stood up in a poised manner. "Thanks for volunteering, and you are…?"

Victoria then proceeded to clear her throat in an exaggerated fashion as she speaked in a pompous manner, "My name is Victoria Chase and I'm from Seattle. My hobby is in fashion, and I wish to enter the fashion industry in the future." She then proceeded to sit down, earning a few claps from her peers. Ugh, hella lame and pretentious.

"Thanks for introducing yourself. Moving on, what about…" She squinted at Rachel, which Rachel had a huge smile on her face. "You, Rachel? Would you like to introduce yourself to the class?"


	3. Chapter Three

Classes were over and Rachel was walking down the Blackwell hallway with a phone in her hand, texting Chloe. The first day of school after a relatively long break was pretty okay, the highlight obviously was the Photography class. After her introduction to the class, Rachel stole glances at Mr Jefferson whenever she could throughout the lesson. Now… well, she had to talk to Ms MacFaux over an apparent smirk. _It's not even a big deal._ She thought to herself before feeling a vibration coming from her phone in her pocket.

 **Chloe:**

hey rach wru?

 **Rachel:**

Omw to talk to Ms MacFaux.

 **Chloe:**

classes r over tho

 **Rachel:**

She told me to meet her after school because I smirked at her.

 **Chloe:**

srsly?

she sounds uptight

 **Rachel:**

Can't disagree with that. Hopefully we're both wrong. :(

 **Chloe:**

she should talk to u abt u using emojis tho

 **Rachel:**

:o

 **Chloe:**

NO EMOJIS!

 **Rachel:**

:P

 **Rachel:**

:x

 **Rachel:**

:D

 **Rachel:**

OwO

 **Rachel:**

XD

 **Chloe:**

i swear to god rachel dawn amber

 **Rachel:**

Gotta go. Ttyl! ;)

Rachel giggled as she looked at her phone. She stepped into the empty Photography classroom as she walked to the desk to lean on it. She unlocked her phone to check the time and to clear her chat notifications that she received very often. _Totally unrelated to the smirk, and a totally hella large coincidence._ She told herself, sighing in slight annoyance. She read her messages while waiting for whatever Ms MacFaux wanted to talk to her about.

 **Victoria:**

Hey Rach! You did SO, so well for your introduction! Your awesome! :)

Rachel rolled her eyes as she read that. _What a fake bitch._ She proceeded to read her next message, grinning at it as she typed out her reply at lightning speed.

 **Nathan:**

yo rach, lets hang out sumtime

stil got alotta weed wit me

 **Rachel:**

Sure thing, Nathan.

Rachel proceeded to read what the final recipient's message was about, which let to her mood, taking a drastic change.

 **Frank:**

Hey, I'm sorry for what happened. I'd never do anything to deliberately hurt you.

rach?

She contemplated if she should reply to Frank after what he did to her. _Getting physical while high is a red flag. What a pig._ She proceeded to type out a response.

 **Rachel:**

Frank, it's over. We're done. Stop messaging me.

 _If Chloe was to ever find out about it, she'd… I don't wanna disappoint her._ She then proceeded to delete her conversation history with Frank to hide it from Chloe. She let out a deep sigh before hearing the click of heels, no... _high heels_ , coming closer and closer. Rachel recomposed herself as she offered a smile. "Hey, Ms MacFaux."

Ms MacFaux smiled back at Rachel. "Hey Rachel, you can call me Idell."

 _Idell, huh. I like that._

Idell continued talking. "Anyway, you seem to have a lot of potential Rachel." Rachel grinned at her comment. "Since today is Friday and school starts on Monday…" Idell proceeded to rub her chin in an exaggerated manner as if pondering in deep thought, while Rachel was trying to read Idell's body language but she failed to do so. "How... would you like to join me on a little field trip?" Idell smiled at her.

Rachel decided to test the waters with Idell, knowing that it was totally weird to be flirting with a teacher but she did it anyway. She gave a smirk at Idell before speaking, "Is that a date?"

If Rachel wasn't able to read Idell before, she could now. Idell was blushing with shades of pink on her cheeks. Idell stammered out a reply. "No, I mean, I-I-That's not what I meant, Rachel." She giggled at her own stammering before continuing what she wanted to say. "Okay, you got me there. So, uh, how would you like to be my protégé and join me on a little trip to…"

"To?" Rachel repeated Idell's last word in a questioning tone to prompt Idell to continue. "Wait, did you say protégé?" _Holy shit._

"Yeah Rachel, I did. Anyway, make a wild guess to where we're going to." Idell leaned on the desk.

"The beach in Arcadia Bay?" Rachel replied.

"Strrr-ike one." Idell grinned.

"Uh, the lighthouse?"

"Strrr-ike two." _Shit._ Rachel thought to herself.

Idell gave a smug look at Rachel. Rachel crossed her arms and giggled before returning a smirk. "You're really enjoying this, aren't you?"

Idell simply shrugged her shoulders. "Mayyybe." She giggled before continuing, "Anyway, I'll give you a few hints to make it easier for you. Let's see… One, it's not in Arcadia Bay. Two, we'll be going to a pretty popular city. Three, it's in SoCal."

Rachel's eyes widened as her mouth formed an 'o' shape. "No way, no way. You're telling me that we're going to Los Angeles?" Idell nodded back at Rachel. "That's hella awesome! Who else is going?" She grinned at her teacher.

"Who else do you wanna invite?" Idell slightly tilted her head to one side, her tone was dripping with curiosity.

"Well, can my best friend tag along?" Rachel looked at Idell with her pleading, puppy eyes that she picked up on from Chloe.

"Chloe? What for?"

"You know her? Anyway, we've been planning to go there for a long time now."

"Oh, uh, yeah. She rejoined Blackwell recently, right? I heard about her." Idell stopped talking for a few seconds, thinking about Rachel's request. "Rachel, I'd love to bring her along but I want to let it be a one-on-one thing. We can always go with her again one day. Do you understand where I'm trying to get at?"

"Yeah, sure I guess. Thank you so much Ms M-, uh, Idell." Rachel was grinning with joy at this sudden news. Then, she remembered something. "Hey Idell, you didn't ask me to stay back over me grinning at you… right?"

Idell reacted to her question by tilting her head to a side like a curious puppy would. "Maybe I did." Idell grinned. "Anyway," She took out her phone and sent a text to Rachel, "here's my number. Be seeing you, Rachel."

Rachel whipped out her phone as soon as Idell left to check out the text that she received and to message Chloe afterward.

 **Unknown:**

Hey Rach! (:

She grinned at her phone as she replied to the oh so mysterious stranger.

 **Rachel:**

Stranger danger! Seriously though, I can't thank you enough for this amazing opportunity. I'll repay you one day. Thanks Idell! Xoxo

She then quickly messaged Chloe to inform Chloe of her awesome opportunity.

 **Rachel:**

Hey, Junkyard Queen.

 **Chloe:**

hey u

 **Rachel:**

Listen, I got an amazing opportunity from Idell. She wants me to be her protégé and we're heading to Los Angeles today. I'll be back on Monday.

 **Chloe:**

you're not taking me with u?

 **Chloe:**

what the fuck rach

 **Chloe:**

i thought we were supposed to be a team

 **Rachel:**

Chlo, calm down. I did ask her about it. She says maybe next time. This is a hella rare opportunity for me.

 **Chloe:**

she wants u to be her protege and shes taking u to LA on the first day meeting each other

 **Chloe:**

hmmm

 **Chloe:**

u two arent dating, are u?

 **Chloe:**

something doesnt add up rach

 **Rachel:**

No, we're not. You're one in a million, Chloe Price. I'm just as surprised as you are.

 **Rachel:**

I gotta go pack my things for the trip in my dorm room, you coming?

 **Chloe:**

gimme 5 mins


	4. Chapter Four

"So… Los Angeles, huh?" Rachel was sitting on her bed, her back facing the door as she was packing her clothes into a duffel bag. She turned her head to the source of the voice, spotting a blue-haired girl leaning against the door frame with a visible frown on her face.

"There you are!" Rachel smiled back at her, an attempt to avoid riling up Chloe and an attempt to cheer her up. Chloe was never the best at keeping her cool, she chose to be angry instead of dealing with different emotions as it was easier for her that way. After all, why should she care so much and be vulnerable when she can flip people off? Most of the people were accommodating with her outbursts though, with the exception of a few such as David and Victoria. "Yeah, Chloe. About that…" Rachel gave a heavy sigh, "I wish you could come, I really do. But…"

"But _what_ , Rachel?" Chloe willed the anger out of her voice. "You've been a little distant recently, then you tell me that some teacher from Blackwell is bringing you on a trip to L.A on the first day of meeting each other?" Chloe scoffed as the anger crept into her voice. "And I thought _you_ lie well." She folded her arms as she stared at Rachel, waiting for a response from her best friend.

"Chloe, Idell and I aren't together. Like I said earlier, I'm as shocked as you are. This whole thing was unplanned and she literally told me about it minutes ago." Rachel replied with a calm, cautious, and unhurried voice. "I've been distant recently because I've been dealing with other things, alright?"

"That still doesn't answer why can't I come. Fuck, Rachel, we've been wanting to get out of Arcadia Bay for years now!" Chloe's voice was cracked and raw as she clenched her fists. "I mean, I can find ways to _pay_ for my own expense if that's necessary just to go with you. Why can't I go?"

"We still have time, Chloe." Rachel stood up and cupped Chloe's cheek with her hand. "I'll only be gone for 3 days, tops. I'll see if I can talk to her about another trip where we can be together, okay?"

"I don't know, Rach… It's hella fishy if you ask me." Chloe's facial expression softened, eyes twinkled with concern as she pulled Rachel into a hug, "Just be safe, alright?" She chuckled to herself to ease her nerves before she continued to speak. "You better show me your pictures when you get back." She released her hug before continuing speaking, "So, uh, how are you gonna convince her to take us to L.A after this trip of yours?"

"I got my ways, Chloe." Rachel replied with a wink, "And yes, it is _hella_ fishy to be honest. But it's not like my photography teacher is a murderer or a villain or something." She shrugged as she looked at her nails. Rachel gave her best sad puppy look that she learned from Chloe before speaking, "Mind helping me pack?"

Chloe let out a groan. "Sure." She walked over to Rachel's bedside as she folded Rachel's clothes while Rachel was placing her essentials into her duffel bag. Chloe noticed a few of them and she couldn't help but to let out a chuckle.

"What?" Rachel curiously turned her head to meet Chloe's gaze.

Chloe was giving her signature shit-eating grin at this point. "Rach, do you _really_ need three portable chargers, two chargers, and two USB cables? Don't even get me started on the two mini-fans that you have in there."

Rachel clenched her heart in an exaggerated manner as she gave her best-offended look, "Chloe, you know how fast my phone battery depletes when I'm watching a video on full bright. Plus L.A is gonna be hella hot, I'll need those fans with me."

"So…" Chloe was still holding her grin, "you'd rather be cool than hot?" Rachel replied by lightly shoving Chloe, rolling her eyes in the process that didn't go unnoticed.

Rachel felt a buzz in the left pocket of her shorts. Taking out her phone, she read and replied to Idell's message.

 **Idell:  
** Hey, Rachel! I'm waiting for you in the parking lot.

We'll be catching a flight from Portland's airport to L.A. :)

 **Rachel:**

I'll be there in a few minutes. I'm just about done packing my clothes and stuff.

"Hey, Chlo." Rachel kept her phone in her pocket, giving a smile as she turned her head to look at Chloe. "She's waiting at the carpark, you coming?"

"Is that supposed to be a question?" Chloe giggled at that absurd question. "Of course I am." She returned a smile back to Rachel. "C'mon sista, ya don't wanna let her wait." Chloe nudged Rachel's arm with her elbow.

"Yeah, you're right." Rachel paused for a few seconds, deep in thought. "I'll keep in touch with you every day, alright?" She slung the duffel bag's strap over her shoulder, although she immediately regretted doing that. "Oof! That's… hella… heavy!"

Chloe chuckles at Rachel's struggle, unable to not comment on Rachel's situation. "Now ya know how I feel whenever you climb on me." She continued laughing for a while more before composing herself to offer Rachel a helping hand. "C'mere, lemme help ya with that." Rachel gladly accepted Chloe's generous offer with a grin. "... What the hell did you put in your bag, Rach? Rocks?"

"Did you just reference Spongebob?" Rachel was giggling. "C'mon, Price. You used to carry me _all_ the time. It shouldn't be _that_ heavy."

Both Chloe and Rachel reached the front doors of the dormitory building when they bumped into Victoria, taking all of them by surprise.

"Hey, Rachel!" Victoria gave her best smile, that obviously wasn't genuine at all. "... And hey to you too, Kari! Are th-"

"It's _Chloe. Kuh-low-ee._ " Chloe was obviously annoyed at Victoria's numerous attempts at intentionally mispronouncing her name, she knew that Victoria had been doing it on purpose but it worked on her every single time.

"Anyway as I was saying before Kari Price here rudely interrupted me," Victoria gave a smug look at Chloe, "where are you guys going? To the beach?"

"Why the fuck do _you_ care, Victoria?" Chloe defensively replied, about to lash out at Victoria, but Rachel stepped in before she could. As usual.

Rachel crossed her arms, returning a smile to Victoria as she tilted her head ever so slightly to one side. "Los Angeles, with Idell. I'm her protégé" Rachel gave a smug look at Victoria, eyeing Victoria as if challenging her.

 _This is it, her facade crumbles away._ Rachel thought to herself. As if on cue, Victoria's demeanor changed dramatically. Victoria expressed anger and jealousy, and she hadn't even uttered a single word yet. "Idell? Ms MacFaux? Why the fuck are _you_ the one given that opportunity? Your photography probably isn't even good at all!" She crossed her arms while shaking with anger, scoffing before continuing. "In fact, _I_ should be the one given that opportunity. Hell, you've only known her for like what, a few hours?"

"How long do _you_ know her for?" Rachel replied with a smirk visible on her face.

"Eat a dick, Rachel. Not like you haven't done so with F-" Victoria was immediately interrupted with Rachel _shoving_ Victoria hard, but not hard enough that Victoria would stumble and fall. This rarely happened as Rachel only got physical when she was very angry. "What the hell, Rach?!" Victoria lifted up her arms to show her outrage and surprise.

"C'mon Rach…" Chloe said with concern in her voice. "You got a plane to catch and Idell's waiting. She's not worth your time getting angry over, although I wouldn't mind if ya hit her hard if you weren't meeting up _with your teacher in a matter of minutes."_ She placed extra emphasis on her last few words.

"Fine, Chloe." Rachel stared daggers at Victoria, challenging the self-proclaimed Queen Bee of Blackwell to continue. "Let's go."

"What was that about, Rach?" Chloe questioned her best friend, having her own suspicions now.

"Don't know, don't care. You know how handful and annoying that _bitch_ can be sometimes." Rachel said in a low and annoyed tone. "Anyway," They were both making their way to the carpark now, walking down the stairs. _Idell is in the car. Or at least one of the cars here..._ As if on cue, Rachel received a text message. She unlocked her phone to check it.

 **Idell:**

The door's unlocked.

 **Idell:  
** It's the red Tesla by the way. :)

 _Well… that was convenient._ Rachel thought to herself, chuckling at the coincidence. "She says that it's the red Tesla car."

"A Tesla? Wow, she really is from San Francisco huh?" Chloe decided to make a fun lighthearted jab at Rachel's teacher.

They both soon approached the car, and Rachel opened the back door to help Chloe place Rachel's bag on the seat.

"The flight is gonna be an hour and a half or so by the way. It shouldn't take longer than that." A voice spoke from the car. _That… sounds familiar._ Chloe thought to herself, but she quickly dismissed it.

Chloe nudged Rachel to get her to respond as Rachel was trying to get her earpiece from her bag. "Oh, uh, alright. Thanks for the heads up, Idell!" At this point, Rachel was now frantically searching for it. She always carried it with her, but it was missing now. She probably left it in her dorm room.

"Need help with something?" The familiar voice, that Chloe deduced that it was Idell's, turned around smiling as she said that. A slight panic in Idell's eyes when they locked on to Chloe's.

 _That familiar voice._

 _That strong jawline._

 _The way Idell's lips ever so slightly parted that reveals a few her teeth._

 _That wasn't just anyone's smile._

She knew that smile from somewhere.

"... Max?"


End file.
